Dervish’s Wish | Kasnazan Way

Date: 17/10/2012

Location: Kausar Nagar – Bangalore – Karnataka

I went out on a preaching journey in which I gave the pledge to fifteen people. After returning home, I found a man of around eighty years old waiting for me. He had a very long beard and carried a staff. I greeted him and went into my house, but he followed me. He said in Urdu: “I am a Shaikh from Ṭarīqa Qādiriyya Chishtiyya, and I am a caliph of Ṭarīqa Suhrwardiyya. I have come to you because I have heard you have things we do not have. One of the caliphs of our Ṭarīqa Suhrwardiyya has taken the pledge from you and is now following you, so I came to know what made him join you and leave us.” I said: “We have the Qur’an and the Sunna (Tradition) of the Prophet (ṣallā Allah ʿalaihi wa sallam), which you also have.” He said: “True.” I said: “We have dhikrs, and you have dhikrs.” He said: “True.” I then went on to say: “We have the Ghawth of all creatures, Quṭb al-Irshād (the Pole of Preaching),[1] and the only heir of the family of the Prophet (ṣallā Allah ʿalaihi wa sallam) and Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Gaylānī, which you do not have.” He said: “What proof do you have?” I replied: “Anyone who makes an untrue claim is a liar; do you have proof on what you claim about your Shaikh, before I present you with the proof of my claim?” He said: “I do not know.” I said: “How come that you do not know whether your Shaikh is a Ghawth or not? Take, for example, any college or university. If it has a proper curriculum and good lecturers, you would consider it to be a credible educational institute; otherwise, you would not take notice of it.” He said: “That is all true.” I then went on to say: “I will now give you the proof. Have we met before?” He said: “No.” I said: “Do I know you?” He said: “No.” I said: “My Master, the only Ghawth in this world, has just told me that you want green beads from the shrine of al-Gaylānī, and here they are.” Every time I visit India, I bring with me hundreds of beads which I have taken to the shrine of ḥaḍrat Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Gaylānī to bless them. The man cried and I cried with him. He said: “The dervish of Ṭarīqa Suhrwardiyya was right in taking your pledge and following you, and I would also now like to take the pledge.”

Footnote

[1] “Quṭb al-Irshād” is a very high spiritual position that is occupied by one Shaikh at any point in time.